Rough opening date, times, and features revealed for new garden centre on the edge of Northampton

Blue Diamond has revealed when it is set to open its garden centre at the former Dobbies site in Harlestone Heath, opposite Harlestone Firs.

Dobbies Garden Centre closed in December as part of the company’s efforts to manage its financial difficulties and restructure its national operations.

The closure impacted 28 employees, including six full-time and 22 part-time staff. Dobbies pledged to consult with those affected and aimed to redeploy them where possible.

It was revealed in January that the site was being taken over by Blue Diamond, which runs the popular Beckworth Emporium in Mears Ashby.

Refurbishment work has been underway for several weeks, and Blue Diamond has now confirmed to this newspaper that the site is set to open at the end of this month (March), provided everything goes to schedule.

According to its website, the site will offer a range of facilities including baby changing facilities, a café, a carry-to-car service, a restaurant, coach party welcomes, free parking, gift vouchers, a home delivery service, and pushchair accessibility.

The company has also revealed the following opening times: the garden centre will be open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5:30pm, and Sunday from 10:30am to 4:30pm. The restaurant will be open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm, and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.

If the new site is anything like Blue Diamond’s Beckworth Emporium, customers have plenty to be excited about. Beckworth has earned an impressive 4.4 out of 5 stars from 1,426 Google reviews since opening in 2023.

One reviewer wrote: “Beckworth Emporium – a garden centre that integrates gourmet food, desserts, home furnishings, garden plants, and a restaurant. Every corner is full of dazzling items; you can spend half a day wandering around.”

Another said: “Must be one of the best garden centres for many a mile; always a pleasure and doesn’t disappoint.”

Major changes are underway in the Harlestone Firs area, with 3,000 homes being built at the Dallington Grange housing estate, along with the construction of the North West Relief Road, set to open this summer.

Dobbies Garden Centre in Newport Pagnell Rod, Northampton, is also set to be taken over by British Garden Centres this month.